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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Review: Prophecy Girl by Faith McKay

Prophecy Girl (Lacuna Valley #1)
By Faith McKay

* A copy was provided by the author for review.

To Sum It Up:

Lacuna Valley is the latest in the string of places Samantha Winthrop has called home. Stuck seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Sam figures that it won’t be long before her mother decides to uproot the family yet again. Sam soon learns, though, that there’s a reason why her mother chose to relocate to Lacuna Valley, and it just might have something to do with the uncanny way in which the prayers of Sam’s younger sister, Violet, seem to come true. When Sam discovers that the valley is not the quiet, unassuming place she thought it was and that she, too, possesses an otherworldly gift, it’s up to her to protect both her sister and the magical orb that influences just about every aspect of life in Lacuna Valley.

Lee's Review:

Prophecy Girl got off to a solid start. Thanks to some vivid imagery, I immediately had the sense that Lacuna Valley was a desolate locale and probably one of the last places a teenage girl would want to live in. Sam’s unhappiness not only with her new home but with yet another move was also palpable from the outset. We’re soon introduced to Sam’s little sister, Violet, and her ability to seemingly have her prayers become reality. The exposition had me intrigued, but unfortunately, I ended up with a stack of questions about the plot that sometimes went unanswered.

I never connected enough with the main character, Sam, to really form an opinion of her. It was kind of like meeting someone for the first time, hanging out with her for a bit, then realizing that you didn’t have much in common to ever go beyond being acquaintances. I thought that Violet was a better developed character; I liked her plucky spirit. I also liked Nick, Sam’s sunglasses-obsessed classmate, and how he came to her defense when she was being harassed on the school bus. The chemistry between Sam and Nick was nicely done and was one of the highlights of the book.

My main issue with Prophecy Girl was the trickling pace at which the plot details were revealed. Sam asks plenty of questions but either receives vague responses or none at all for the longest time. I found this rather frustrating. Also, the answers to the questions that popped into my head while reading didn’t always sate my curiosity. For instance, Sam’s abusive monster of a mother, Danielle, whom I despised, seeks the magical orb that controls Lacuna Valley’s weather and the types of residents who are drawn to live there. She wants its power, but what, exactly, does she plan to use that power for? I’d hoped that the novel’s climax would fill in the specifics, but it didn’t, and the next thing I knew, I’d reached the last page. I understand that this is only the first book in the series and that not all of the cards can be thrown down on the table. I do, however, think that a bit more explanation here and there would have made this a smoother read because there were times when I struggled to piece together the various threads of the story.

There are some interesting ideas here, such as Violet’s ability and the seasonals, mysterious, supernatural beings who live in the valley, but they weren’t fleshed out enough to make this an especially compelling read. I didn’t become very attached to Sam as a protagonist, either, which also kept me from really getting into the book. Although the beginning was promising, in the end, this just wasn’t for me.

All in All:

While Prophecy Girl’s take on the supernatural is creative, I feel like I spent most of the book filling in details on my own because they weren’t revealed quickly enough for me, and in some cases, not thoroughly enough. That was just my experience, though, so if this book sounds like something that appeals to you, then by all means, try it out for yourself.

Ally's Review:

Prophecy Girl is probably one of the toughest books I’ve read. I knew going into the book that there was an undertone of harsher themes, but that wasn’t even what put a damper on the book for me; I had several other issues with it.

The characters, Sam and Nick, were the typical interpretation of troubled teenagers. As the reader, I pretty much knew four things about them: 1) They share a love of the same bands, 2) Nick likes sunglasses and Sam hates her mother, 3) They both dearly love their younger siblings, and 4) Both of them are connected to the supernatural. Nick and Sam were both pretty boring. I have nothing against them, but that’s the thing! I didn’t care about them—at all.

The villains in the story weren’t any more plausible. Sam’s abusive mother and passive father are the worst parents in the history of the universe. Okay, I can deal with that, but why?! Why did they decide to have children if they couldn’t care less about them?! Why do they send them to school and buy them things if they are only using Sam and Violet for their abilities?! Why does the father stay with his controlling and abusive wife?! Where did the father even go for the last half of the book?! And how does the mother even have friends to gossip with on the telephone?! The mother was one-dimensionally evil; she had no clear motives. Nothing of substance happened with the conflict until nearly the end of the book. All I was left with was a pile of questions.

Violet, Sam’s younger sister, was the light at the end of the tunnel for both Sam and me. She was such a cutie, and on top of that, she was interesting! Violet is a puppetmaster, meaning that she can pretty much control everything. If she wants something to happen, all she has to do is wish for it. It was amusing to see her wish for childish things like all-day recess and rain. The kid really brought the best out of the book. She made me wish that I knew more about Sam’s powers, which are prophetic dreams. I think having more insight into Sam’s supernatural powers would have helped to move the story along.

The seasonals were another interesting element of the book. They were majorly cool and kind of bad-arse. I kind of wished they would have rained down on the insignificant humans, specifically Sam’s mother, instead of letting the unprepared teenagers handle the conflict. It was disappointing because the seasonals were barely in the book at all. I was left waiting in suspense for their appearance, and the whole meet-and-greet lasted for a little over three pages.

Prophecy Girl is such a promising book, but the execution just isn’t there. The elements of the story that were up to par were not nearly as focused on as much as they should have been. I think that was one of the biggest problems I had with the book.

All in All:

Like I said before, Prophecy Girl was a tough read. I’m sure some will enjoy it and others won’t. It’s a matter of opinion, and everybody has a different one.

I didn't have enough of a sense of who these characters were, especially Sam's mother, to fully understand why they acted as they did. I had a lot of questions that began with "why" in general, and I felt like the book just didn't cover all of them.

As both of you said, the concept seems to be fairly interesting and worthwhile, but static characters can ruin even the most interesting premise. It's a shame the book did work out, but I totally understand why--I doubt I would have much better luck with this one.

The concept definitely had potential, but it needed the other elements of the book, like character and plot development, to come together. Neither ever really went past what was presented in the exposition, so the story has a whole didn't get very far off the ground for me.

I actually got a hold of this one myself awhile back, but I was waiting for the right mood to strike me since I'd heard the mother was especially horrible. Not really sure if I'll be rushing to read it now, I'm such a HUGE character reader and seeing how poorly fleshed out most of the came across - for both of you - I can't see myself feeling any differently. You both wrote fair & really insightful reviews, it's clear that some things were done well here but overall the elements just didn't come together.